July 16, 2011

There are some classic recipes one should not try to modernise. Pulla, or Finnish bun, probably falls into this category, and there is no doubt some people who are orthodox about this sweet, cardamom spiced treat, would not consider my version to be called 'pulla' because it is lacking some essential ingredients. All Finns are supposed to learn to make pulla from a very young age and most of us grow up in a household where fresh pulla is baked at least every fortnight.

I have taken the classic recipe and made it my own. I've replaced plain wheat flour with whole spelt and used olive oil instead of butter. Does it work? Yes. Does it taste like pulla? Yes! These are soft and sweet, just like they are supposed to be, and they have a distinct cardamom flavour. Cardamom is the most quintessential flavour in the dough, so everything else in this recipe, give or take, you can experiment with, just please don't leave cardamom out!

1. For the starter, mix the dry yeast with 100 grams of the flour, then stir the mixture into the warm milk. Add in the remaining 200 grams of flour and stir well to combine. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 15-20 minutes or until the starter is bubbly.

2. Stir in the egg, sugar, cardamom and salt and start kneading in the flour. Once the dough feels soft and starts unsticking your hand, knead in the olive oil, followed by a bit more flour. Leave the dough to rest (in a bowl, covered with a tea towel) for 20-30 minutes.

3. Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface. Divide the dough into equal portions (about 20), then roll the portions into balls. Place the balls on two baking trays lined with baking paper. Cover the trays with tea towels and leave to rise for a further 20 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 180C.

5. Brush the buns with the egg and sprinkle each bun with a cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack covered with tea towels.Serve warm with a glass of cold milk.

I've yet to use Spelt flour as I onced purchased a product w it as the primary ingredient that I didn't care for- You've convinced me that was just a fluke and I'm going to try these! Love your blog as always:-) xoxo~Juliane

I didnt know that cardamom is so popular in Finland too--we use it a lot in Indian cooking..Its gives so much warmth to sweet treats.I think I will try these buns for my husband- he is not much of a cinnamon fan- cardamom will work perfect for him!

I've never tried pulla before but these look yummy :) I love the cardamom! I love using it with fruit in desserts, but in buns I bet the smell is amazing. I think the spelt flour and olive oil are great changes :)

Maria - largely for health reasons I have not been baking. Your blog is changing my mind bigtime! Oh, I remember making and eating and loving pulla in my childhood days in Estonia. Spelt flour and olive oil - I believe it is time to start 'playing' around with yeast again! :D !

When I saw "cardamom", I wanted to go straight to the comment box, saying "yes yes, cardamom's aroma and flavor is so distinctively special!" I add them (to infuse) in milk for Chai Masala - with or without it, it is so different!

Cardamon is one of my favorite spice. The aroma of this spice transforms the food into another level. The finnish buns look scrumptious with spelt flour and I love this variation of the traditional recipe.

mmmmmm....cardamom....It's the cornerstone of Scandinavian baking. I love it! Your pulla sound fantastic and I love that you haven't been mean with the cardamom - I can smell them all the way down here in Melbourne!

I had a Finnish kindergarten teacher growing up in Australia and learned to make braided pulla. To this day it is my FAVORITE thing to eat. Thanks for posting your modified version, I'll be trying it out asap!